Arsenal in four-way battle with Nice, Bordeaux and Red Bull Leipzig for Le Havre starlet Harold Moukoudi
Gunners are looking at the defender who has come through the same youth system as Paul Pogba
ARSENAL face competition from Nice, Bordeaux and Red Bull Leipzig for Le Havre defender Harold Moukoudi.
SunSport have been told the Gunners are keen on the 19-year-old defender, regarded as one of the biggest prospects in the French youth football.
The teenage stopper has been capped by France at Under-18 level and is the latest to come off the famous La Havre production line.
Moukoudi is set to follow in the footsteps of Dimitri Payet and Paul Pogba who controversially left Le Havre to join Manchester United aged 16.
The youngster has made nine appearances for the French second tier outfit this season and his displays have alerted some of Europe’s big boys.
The Gunners are keen to bolster their defensive options as Per Mertesacker is set to retire at the end of the season.
Moukoudi is tailor-made for the Premier League - a tall, powerful centre-back comfortable on the ball.
Le Havre are resigned to losing their prize asset, so a deal could be wrapped up in January with the kid loaned back for the second half of the season.
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But French top flight outfits, Nice and Bordeaux could scupper Wenger’s plans as they try to keep the defender in French football.
A move to the French top flight looks like a logical step, but Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig are also in the mix for his signature.
The Germans have a reputation for taking raw talent and providing a platform for players to flourish before selling to Europe’s elite for a huge profit.
Naby Keita will join Liverpool next summer for £45million, just a few years after featuring for FC Istres in the French second tier.
